All Gates Open presents the definitive story of arguably the most influential and revered avant-garde band of the late twentieth century: CAN. It consists of two books.

In Book One, Rob Young gives us the full biography of a band that emerged at the vanguard of the so-called Krautrock scene in late sixties Cologne. Drawing on unique interviews with all the founding members of CAN, as well as their vocalists, friends, and music industry associates Young offers a portrait of a group who worked with visionary intensity and belief, outside the system and inside their own inner space.

Book Two, Can Kiosk, has been assembled by Irmin Schmidt, founding member and guiding spirit of the band, as a ‘collage’ – a technique long associated with CAN’s approach to recording. There is an oral history of the band, there are interviews with artists and filmmakers and extracts of Schmidt’s notebook and diaries from 2013-14 are reproduced. Can Kiosk offers further perspectives on a band that have inspired several generations of musicians and filmmakers in the voices of the artists themselves.

All Gates Open is available in standard and limited editions. The latter comes with a special edition print and a 78-page full colour facsimile of an uber-rare communal Can notebook – the stream of consciousness of a group at the height of its creative powers.

Can Limited Edition

Number of copies printed: 200
Price: £275
Published: 3 May 2018

Limited edition available to purchase by customers in the UK and Republic of Ireland only
Orders will be dispatched to customers on and not before the publication date

Book specifications
Each book is numbered and signed by Irmin Schmidt and Rob Young
Format: Royal (234x156mm)
Printed on 90gsm woodfree paper, and handbound, cased in yellow vinyl, text blind blocked on front and spine, printed endpapers, orange ribbon, grey head and tail bands.

Scribbles and jottings by all band members revealing the group’s playful sense of humour and surrealistic chains of thought

The fragile pages show the emergence of song titles, LP sleeve and band logo proposals and mind-bending doodles and caricatures

Japanese lyrics handwritten by Damo Suzuki

Sketches of drum kit layouts by Jaki Liebezeit

Insight into how Can came up with some of their most memorable track titles

Print: Limited edition letterpress print (based on the cover artwork)
Each print is numbered and signed by Irmin Schmidt
Solander box: Covered and lined in Colorplan Smoke paper, artwork blocked in two pigment colours (yellow and orange).

Images show original Can studio notebook, of which a high quality reproduction is included with the limited edition.
Final specifications may be subject to late change due to availability of materials.